Comments by Nora McCarten Most recent public comments by Nora McCarten https://nowcomment.com/users/23949 Yes! The line between a personal review and a more formal "business" review lies in this enthusiasm. however, the accuracy and information you mention needs to be present in all reviews, regardless of the level of enthusiasm. https://nowcomment.com/documents/56402?scroll_to=630323 https://nowcomment.com/documents/56402?scroll_to=630323 Mon, 05 Dec 2016 10:45:27 -0500 hold the control https://nowcomment.com/documents/56405?scroll_to=630321 https://nowcomment.com/documents/56405?scroll_to=630321 Editors hold all the control over who does the review, the length of the review, and how the final version of the review appears. For better reviewing to happen, editors need to pay closer attention to the factual aspect of the review, an element that can be ignored in reviewers who rely on opinion and shock value. Fri, 09 Dec 2016 07:11:56 -0500 Definitely agree. This is especially true for bookss that might have been controversial at the time. https://nowcomment.com/documents/56403?scroll_to=630320 https://nowcomment.com/documents/56403?scroll_to=630320 Mon, 12 Dec 2016 19:41:09 -0500 By saying the review has an afterlife, Pool means that the review will still come up when potential researchers search online for a book they are interested in reading, thus creating a lasting effect for the impact of that review. https://nowcomment.com/documents/56403?scroll_to=630319 https://nowcomment.com/documents/56403?scroll_to=630319 Tue, 06 Dec 2016 07:27:33 -0500 comfort https://nowcomment.com/documents/56402?scroll_to=624308 https://nowcomment.com/documents/56402?scroll_to=624308 I agree that knowing the reviewer's relationship to the book/author gives better insight into the tone and opinion of the review. Many well-established reviewers stick to certain subject matters, and readers of their review come to rely on their sense of established commentary towards those subjects. There is comfort in understanding the reviewer's motives and personal connections. Fri, 09 Dec 2016 18:11:06 -0500 being sold to https://nowcomment.com/documents/56402?scroll_to=624296 https://nowcomment.com/documents/56402?scroll_to=624296 Definitely more promotional. It is one thing to offer praise from a critical standpoint, but "cheerleading" can ruin the credibility of the review and raise questions about the reviewer's integrity. Enthusiasm should make potential readers excited about the review, whereas cheerleading can make potential readers feel as if they're being sold to. Wed, 14 Dec 2016 07:46:10 -0500 accuracy vs space https://nowcomment.com/documents/56401?scroll_to=624280 https://nowcomment.com/documents/56401?scroll_to=624280 Writing short is often hard, especially in the case of reviewing. A reviewer is trying to condense a myriad of thoughts, feelings, and critiques about a full book into a review of only a few hundred words. Trying to accurately express one's opinion with limited space can lead to the reviewer choosing words and phrases that save space and word count but maybe aren't as true to the feelings of the reviewer. Tue, 29 Nov 2016 09:41:58 -0500 Definitely. There is a fine line between authoritative and pretentious, one that is very easy to cross when opinion is involved. Though tradition may call for a sense of authority in writing, authoritative style in modern reviewing can be misinterpreted. https://nowcomment.com/documents/56401?scroll_to=624275 https://nowcomment.com/documents/56401?scroll_to=624275 Mon, 28 Nov 2016 11:57:00 -0500 Agreed. His racism is one of the defining characteristics of his personality, and certainly one that people remember him for. In this last paragraph, the reviewer is smart to bring the conversation to present day as it provides a thought-provoking ending. https://nowcomment.com/documents/56410?scroll_to=624270 https://nowcomment.com/documents/56410?scroll_to=624270 Thu, 15 Dec 2016 18:44:36 -0500 The reviewer's authority is expressed through using fact and quote, as well as through writing with a confidence that makes his knowledge of the subject seem personal rather than stiff. https://nowcomment.com/documents/56410?scroll_to=624255 https://nowcomment.com/documents/56410?scroll_to=624255 Mon, 28 Nov 2016 11:51:55 -0500 The implication here is that a Madison biography should include all the realistic elements of his world, even those that might be hard to understand in modern times. https://nowcomment.com/documents/56410?scroll_to=624250 https://nowcomment.com/documents/56410?scroll_to=624250 Tue, 29 Nov 2016 09:39:04 -0500 structure vs. enthusiasm https://nowcomment.com/documents/56400?scroll_to=621526 https://nowcomment.com/documents/56400?scroll_to=621526 Agreed. As I wrote in my comment for Paragraph 1, the level of enthusiasm can greatly affect how a book review turns out. Sticking to book reviewers who are more experienced in structure and wording may lead to a better review in terms of how well it reads, but not necessarily in terms of knowledge of the subject. Mon, 21 Nov 2016 06:52:50 -0500 interest level https://nowcomment.com/documents/56400?scroll_to=621525 https://nowcomment.com/documents/56400?scroll_to=621525 I think the matchup is so charged because aside from who the reviewer is, their impact will affect the success of the book. Although personal preference in terms of genre and author can affect a review, I think the amount of enthusiasm a reviewer has towards a book is the most crucial aspect. A reviewer who mostly reviews fashion biographies might not have much interest in a sports biography and might give it a lackluster review due to a lack of enthusiasm in the subject matter. Mon, 21 Nov 2016 06:54:04 -0500 catch 22 https://nowcomment.com/documents/56359?scroll_to=621524 https://nowcomment.com/documents/56359?scroll_to=621524 Approaching the book as a reviewer can take away from the experience of reading the book, and the experience is a crucial component that affects the review of the book. It is a catch 22- either Pool takes notes to remember her initial thoughts towards the book, or she spends double the amount of time by reading the book twice, once to experience it as a reader and gain a feel for the tone of the work, and a second time to experience it as a reviewer and explore it from a more critical standpoint. Mon, 21 Nov 2016 06:51:55 -0500 special kind of writer https://nowcomment.com/documents/56359?scroll_to=621523 https://nowcomment.com/documents/56359?scroll_to=621523 Agreed. Creating a fair, well-written argument that has validity and cultural relevance, as well as an opinion with flavor but not anything too biased, calls upon a very select group of writers. To do this all in the span of a book review, usually only a few hundred words, means that writers must use every word and phrase to its maximum capability. Mon, 21 Nov 2016 06:50:57 -0500 stale methods https://nowcomment.com/documents/56358?scroll_to=621502 https://nowcomment.com/documents/56358?scroll_to=621502 Pool's issue comes with the lack of creativity in book reviewing. She points out that there is a standard of "reviewing traditions" that serve as the unofficial rulebook for book reviewing, though these traditions are forcing reviewers into a box where it is hard to express creativity in structure. The point that editors have many of the same thoughts because of identical commercial and cultural experiences is also very valid and thought-provoking; maybe editors with different kinds of viewpoints are needed to spice up the book reviewing industry. Mon, 21 Nov 2016 07:02:50 -0500 I think the use of the word aware speaks to reviewer's relationship with publishing houses. Their awareness could mean their ability to understand the DNA of each publisher and how that might affect the authors and books they support. https://nowcomment.com/documents/56358?scroll_to=621500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/56358?scroll_to=621500 Tue, 13 Dec 2016 23:45:35 -0500 Agreed. A true, thorough assessment provides both fact and opinion- after all, if potential book readers only wanted fact, they would stick to just reading the book summary and not care to read the individual thoughts of a reviewer. https://nowcomment.com/documents/56357?scroll_to=621495 https://nowcomment.com/documents/56357?scroll_to=621495 Sun, 20 Nov 2016 17:07:13 -0500 book experience https://nowcomment.com/documents/56357?scroll_to=621494 https://nowcomment.com/documents/56357?scroll_to=621494 Aside from the reviewer's own personal verdict, a good review should also leave the reader with a sense of the reading experience of the book (is it a joyful experience, thoughtful experience, melancholy experience, etc.) Part of a good review is outlining what the reader can expect in terms of mood and tone. Sun, 20 Nov 2016 17:05:07 -0500 literature decline perhaps? https://nowcomment.com/documents/56357?scroll_to=621492 https://nowcomment.com/documents/56357?scroll_to=621492 It is hard to say because maybe there was no glorious pinnacle- book reviewing is a very methodic art, and one that has been a standard of American culture for decades. I think the idea that it has declined speaks more to the quality of American literature being put out today. Mon, 21 Nov 2016 06:58:57 -0500 purpose + dimension https://nowcomment.com/documents/56406?scroll_to=617437 https://nowcomment.com/documents/56406?scroll_to=617437 Frank's diary, whether written to be artistic or viewed by the general public as a piece of art, brings another dimension to something considered strictly factual and, in a sense, educational. The artistic element shows more of Anne the girl, not Anne the prisoner, Anne the victim, or Anne the Jew. Viewing her diary as a work of art is appropriate, I think, because an emotionally-ridden event like the Holocaust cannot properly be analyzed without a personal, human component. Mon, 14 Nov 2016 06:00:25 -0500 relevance https://nowcomment.com/documents/56356?scroll_to=617428 https://nowcomment.com/documents/56356?scroll_to=617428 It's relevant because it slyly references their marriage and refers back to Marilyn's insecurities, with a need for attention being both her road map to success and her biggest downfall. Sun, 13 Nov 2016 17:47:11 -0500 Agreed. This ability to switch it on and off and use her public perception as an asset to her career shows how smart she actually was. https://nowcomment.com/documents/56356?scroll_to=617426 https://nowcomment.com/documents/56356?scroll_to=617426 Sun, 13 Nov 2016 17:44:24 -0500 The impact of the first paragraph is to humanize Monroe. To most people, she is seen only as a sex symbol, an object of attraction. Here, the author shows us a different side of her, the side that loves to read and cook. It's refreshing. https://nowcomment.com/documents/56356?scroll_to=617424 https://nowcomment.com/documents/56356?scroll_to=617424 Sun, 13 Nov 2016 17:40:22 -0500 Agreed. It's informative but also shows the mood of the author and lends credibility by name-checking other authors. https://nowcomment.com/documents/56355?scroll_to=617423 https://nowcomment.com/documents/56355?scroll_to=617423 Mon, 14 Nov 2016 05:57:56 -0500